Basil Seeds Recipes

My husband Lulu and I recently stayed in a very nice hotel that served cucumber water. The drink was so refreshing I recreated it as soon as I came home. I added a few twists with chia seeds and some basil leaves.

The beauty is that you can prepare a lot of flavored water in advance of any type of party. You can use the combination of herbs, citrus, seeds and even berries you prefer. I’ve had a berry water with raspberries and blueberries that was absolutely wonderful. It’s so easy to make, you have no excuse for buying flavored water that’s probably filled with indescribable preservatives and additives.

Thai basil seed drink is a very refreshing beverage that is popular both in Vietnam and in India. It's called hột é in Vietnamese and falooda in India.

The visual aspect of the drink is unusual and not very appealing, but it tastes great. It kind of looks like fish eggs in a pond and tastes like gummy-textured sugar water. I flavored it with banana extract because that's the flavor combination I remember from my visit to Vietnam.